Howard E. Potter, who died in 1961 at age 84, promoted concerts in the United States for musicians and theater personalities. The Howard E. Potter papers include correspondence received by Potter and clippings.
Born in New Providence, New Jersey, Howard E. Potter (1877-1961) began as an insurance agent in Newark, New Jersey. Eventually, he began working in the advertising department of Musical America. During World War I, he served in the White House detail of the Secret Service and during World War II, in the Academy of Aeronautics at La Guardia Airport. His primary career was as a manager of transcontinental tours by musicians, actors, and dancers, working especially with the management agencies of Charles L. Wagner, Loudon Charlton, and Sol Hurok. Some of the artists he worked for included Marcella Sembrich, Lillian Nordica, Mary Garden, Will Rogers, and Anna Pavlova.
The collection consists of correspondence received by Potter, as well as clippings. Correspondents include Geraldine Farrar, Elsie Janis, Rafael Kubelik, Nellie Melba, Lauritz Melchior, Fritzi Scheff, and Maggie Teyte. One of the clippings documents a Nellie Melba concert in Raleigh, NC, in 1914.
Collection is organized by format and correspondent. Folder totles created by archivist.
Donor unknown.
Processed by Music Division staff.